By a 6-0 vote, the commission recommended Tuesday that the Town Board direct Duke Energy Renewables to work to eliminate a phenomenon called "shadow flicker," an effect caused by the periodic shadows cast by rotating turbine blades

The request stems from claims of wind turbines affecting the health of those who live near wind farms, such as the Shirley Wind Farm in Brown County. People have said the wind turbines generate low-frequency sound, which causes headaches, nausea and sleep disruption.

Kimberly Mueller needs to take action based on evidence in her own community. Fond duLac County has seen a long list of people filing complaints about wind turbine noise and the resulting health effects. Ignoring evidence that should be relied upon from direct witnesses, residents who have been pleading before the Board of Health at meeting after meeting, is not the way a health officer should respond.

New Brown County Board of Health member Jim Crawford, of New Denmark, has indicated a belief that some of the symptoms being reported are psychological and can be addressed via counseling. But the majority of the board said the people complaining of nausea, vertigo and sleep problems deserve to have their complaints taken seriously.

The panel voted 2-0 Thursday to remove the restrictions and require Highland to comply with a complaint resolution process and abide by noise limits in state regulations -- 50 decibels during the day and 45 decibels at night.

A group of Brown County lawmakers has given initial approval for items sought by Shirley-area residents who say low-frequency sound from the farm's eight turbines is making them sick. The committee is recommending the county seek an independent review of findings.

The Brown County Citizens for Responsible Wind Energy (BCCRWE) of Wisconsin have called for former Health Director Chua Xiong’s conclusions regarding wind turbines and health concerns to be dismissed due to the flawed process by which submitted evidence was selectively reviewed and inconsistently weighed, or ignored altogether. A summary of the situation is provided below. The full request including evidence and exhibits can be accessed by selecting the links on this page.

Zima said he asked the human services committee to take action because it oversees the board of health, where most of the debate on this issue has taken place so far. "I just feel its important that we get a hearing, a thorough review, and that it's not just left to what I consider at this point a stacked committee at the health board," Zima said.

In a Reporter article April 13 our County Health Officer Kim Mueller said, "... There isn't any conclusive evidence that the (wind) turbines cause human health problems. ..." Where is Mueller's documentation of the complaints that Fond du Lac County residents have made regarding health issues which we believe began when the wind turbines went online eight years ago? Were the contents of these calls and emails ever presented to the County Board of Health? When was the last time that these serious health issues, believed to be linked to the industrial wind turbines,were placed on the Board of Health meeting agenda for discussion and consideration?

“We will continue to fight this,” said Joan Lagerman, who is trying to get a wind turbine near her Malone home shut down. Lagerman, along with other group members, say they suffer from chronic illness due to the constant, low-frequency noise.

Add another name to the list of people reporting health effects when they spend time near the Shirley Wind Farm: Former Brown County Health Director Chua Xiong. "The times I have been out there by the Wind Turbines, l get such migraine headaches," Xiong wrote to Health Department intern Carolyn Harvey on Nov. 21. "I think I should take some preventative Tylenol before I head out there."

An open record request by residents of Brown County, Wisconsin, has exposed documents showing that former Brown County Health Officer Chua Xiong experienced severe migraine headaches when around the utility-scale wind turbines at the Shirley wind facility. The emails between Ms. Xiong and her intern can be accessed by selecting the document links on this page.

In this powerful letter to the Brown County, Wisconsin Health Board, acoustician Robert Rand explains his obligations under INCE Rules of Practice to notify the appropriate authorities if he believes his professional judgment pertaining to human health impacts has been overruled. In this instance, Mr. Rand is responding to a decision by the county's health officer, Chua Xiong, to rule against the work of the Health Board and find that there is insufficient evidence to show a relationship between wind turbines and health concerns. Mr, Rand was one of four acousticians who studied the noise issues at the Shirley Wind facility. The final report showed that all of those involved with the study, including acousticians who work largely for the wind industry, agreed they had found sufficient evidence to classify low-frequency noise and infrasound emanating from the turbines as a serious issue.

County board Supervisor Erik Hoyer wants the Board of Health to focus on other issues. He's proposing a new plan that would create a group of supervisors, citizens, physicians and scientists working together on this issue. ...by creating this group, he claims "we're able to better address the citizens who are impacted by the wind turbines."

"it's a constant stress -- and you feel it, and you hear it. ... it drives me nuts," said Joan Lagerman, who lives among the 88 turbines in Fond Du Lac county. "When you leave and get away from it, you don't have the pressures, you don't have the headaches, you don't have the ringing of the ears, those kinds of things, you cant sleep at night."

We can’t sacrifice the health of people to produce energy, even when it’s clean energy. Something is happening that is affecting these families who have testified to the negative health effects they’ve experienced living near wind turbines. Some have just abandoned their homes. Think about that — leaving your house because your health depends upon it.

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